MADISON, WI – After winning the opening set and ending No. 7 Wisconsin's chance to record its six-consecutive sweep, the No. 15 Florida volleyball team fell in four sets (25-19, 22-25, 20-25, 34-36) to the Badgers on Sunday afternoon in front of over 12,000 fans inside the Kohl Center.
Setter
Alexis Stucky dished out 40 assists to lead four Gators to double-digit kills, as the team finished with a .190 hitting clip. Outside hitter
Aniya Madkin had a team-high 18, while sophomore
Alec Rothe had a season-high 13 to finish one short of her career best. Fellow middle blocker
Jaela Auguste contributed 11 kills and outside hitter
Jordyn Byrd finished with 10 of her own.
Florida held Wisconsin to a .265 hitting clip, its second-lowest percentage of the season, but totaled nine blocks to the Badgers' season-high 17.0. Rothe had a team-high four, while Auguste and Byrd pitched in with three each.
In the backcourt, freshman libero
Lily Hayes led the way for Florida with 16 digs and
Kira Hutson had a career-high 13 digs.
Ella Vogel contributed 12, while Stucky (9),
Bella Lee (5), Rothe (3), Byrd (3) and Madkin (1) pitched in 21 of Florida's 62.
Behind the service line, Florida dropped three aces to Wisconsin's two, with Vogel having two and Hayes finishing with one. Both teams recorded season-high service errors, as the
Gators totaled 18 to the Badgers 16.
Wisconsin's Mimi Colyer led the way offensively for the home team with 27 kills for a .339 clip (27-6-62).
Records:
No. 15 Florida (5-4, 0-0 SEC)
No. 7 Wisconsin (7-1, 0-0 B1G)
Series record:
Overall: 6-3 (0-1 under Theis)
3-set: 2-0,
4-set: 1-1;
5-set: 3-2
Home: 1-1;
Away: 3-1;
Neutral: 2-1
How It Happened
Set 1
- After exchanging the opening points, Wisconsin scored three-straight to take a 7-5 lead before home team errors allowed the Gators to tie it up at nine. An ace from Vogel gave Florida a one-point advantage, as the Badgers called a timeout after falling behind by two (11-9). Out of the huddle, points from Madkin kept the two-point gap, but back-to-back UF errors notched it back up at 14 until two-straight kills from Rothe as well as an ace from Vogel earned the Gators a 21-16 advantage and forced the Badgers to call their second timeout. Back-to-back kills from Madkin made it set-point, but Wisconsin kept fighting with two-straight points until a successful challenge from Coach Theis sealed the 25-19 set-one win and eliminated the Badgers chance to earn their six-straight sweep.
- Set 1 Stats | .219 Hitting %| 13 Kills | 11 Assists | 12 Digs |2.0 Blocks | 1 Ace
- Badgers Stats | .107 Hitting %| 9 Kills | 7 Assists |10 Digs |4.0 Blocks | 0 Aces
Set 2
- Florida kicked off set two with an early 6-3 lead thanks to an ace from Hayes and a kill from Madkin. Back-to-back kills from Wisconsin's Mimi Colyer helped the Badgers tie it up at seven, but a slide from Auguste put the Gators back in the lead by one, where aggressive serving from the sophomore helped Byrd tool the block and pull ahead to a 10-8 lead. Another kill from Byrd extended the lead to three, but Wisconsin tied it back up at 13 before a kill from Auguste sent Florida into the media timeout with a 15-14 advantage. Following the break, a Badger attacking error followed by a slide from Auguste pushed the Gators lead to three (17-14) and force Coach Sheffield to use his first timeout. Out of the huddle, UF errors allowed Wisconsin to tie it up at 19 and make Coach Theis call a timeout. With the race to 25 inching near, the Badgers went on a 6-3 run to close out set two with a 25-22 win.
- Set 2 Team Stats | .214 Hitting %| 17 Kills | 15 Assists |16 Digs |0.0 Blocks | 1 Ace
- Badgers Stats | .389 Hitting %| 16 Kills |15 Assists |14 Digs |4.0 Blocks |0 Aces
Set 3
- Florida trailed 3-5, but a kill from Hutson sent Vogel to the service line where the redshirt freshman dropped an ace to notch it up at fives. A block and a kill from Rothe gave the Gators a 7-5 lead, but the Badgers responded with two-straight to tie it back up at seven. A solo block from Madkin put Florida in the lead by one, 10-9 and a straight down block from Auguste and Stucky extended the lead to three to force Wisconsin to call a timeout. Following the break, the Badgers responded with three-straight to make it 12 even, but a slide from Auguste put the Gators back in the lead by one. The teams traded points until two Badger blocks put the home team up by two (15-13) and force Coach Theis to use his first timeout of the set. Byrd kept the momentum with a solo block to notch it back up at 16, but Wisconsin responded with back-to-back kills and an ace to regain a three-point advantage heading into the final moments of set three. Florida kept the fight, scoring two straight off the attacks of Byrd and Madkin, but the Badgers went on a 6-2 scoring run to clinch set three with a 25-20 win.
- Set 3 Team Stats | .081 Hitting %| 9 Kills |7 Assists |13 Digs |5.0 Blocks | 1 Ace
- Badgers Stats | .238 Hitting %| 16 Kills | 16 Assists |20 Digs | 4.0 Blocks |1 Ace
Set 4
- A kill from Stucky put Florida first on the board, as the Gators were the first to five (5-2). Back-to-back kills extended UF's lead to 9-4, but the Badgers scored four-straight to inch back within one. Points from Byrd and Rothe allowed Florida to regain a two-point advantage, but Wisconsin responded with another 4-0 scoring run to head into the media timeout with a 15-14 lead. Following the break, a kill from Auguste ended the home team's rally, as the Gators pulled ahead, 19-18, with the sophomore behind the service line and force the Badgers to call a timeout. Out of the huddle, Florida pushed to a two-point lead before calling a timeout after Wisconsin fought back to tie it up at 21. The two teams exchanged points out of the huddle, as a kill from Auguste made it set-point Florida, 24-23, before the Badgers responded with two points for match point (25-24). Now going into extra points, the Gators had six set-points and fought off three match-points before falling to the Badgers 34-36 in the fourth set.
- Set 4 Team Stats |.228 Hitting %| 21 Kills |20 Assists |21 Digs | 2.0 Blocks |0 Aces
- Badgers Stats | .286 Hitting %| 20 Kills | 19 Assists |26 Digs | 5.0 Blocks |1 Ace
Hear from Head Coach Ryan Theis:
"I'm really disappointed we missed an opportunity to extend the match. We were making a lot of plays, but some timely miscues unfortunately costed us the match."
Notables
- The Gators move to 1-2 in four-set matches this season
- When playing on the road, Florida sits 2-3
- Senior Amaya Thomas made her first appearance in the Orange and Blue this season after suffering from a calf strain prior to the start of the 2025 campaign
- The Gators are 0-2 against teams ranked in the AVCA top-10 and 2-3 overall against AVCA top-25 opponents
- When playing on a Sunday, Florida is now 4-1
- UF's record against Big Ten opponents this season is 1-1
- The Gators are 3-3 in September play
- Five players either set or tied career highs:
- Four Gators recorded double-digit kills for the first time since Sept. 17, 2024
- Three names registered double-digit digs:
Up Next
Florida returns to the O'Dome for a three-match homestand, welcoming Mississippi State (10-0, 0-0) on Friday, Sept. 26 and Alabama (8-2, 0-0 SEC) on Sunday, Sept. 28 for opening weekend of SEC play.
Click here to check out Florida volleyball's 2025 home match themes and promotions.
Friday, Sept. 26 vs. Mississippi State
Mississippi State Series Record 56-2 (0-0 under Theis)
3-set: 50-0
; 4-set: 5-1
; 5-set: 1-1
Home: 26-1
; Away: 28-1
; Neutral: 2-0
Sunday, Sept. 28 vs. Alabama
Alabama Series Record 54-0 (0-0 under Theis)
3-set: 50-0, 4-set: 4-0; 5-set: 0-0
Home: 28-0; Away: 23-0; Neutral: 3-0
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